The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1887-07-21
Prohibition in Kansas.

Quite an interesting discussion is going on
between the anti-Prohibitionists of Kansas
and the Governor of that State as to
whether prohibition has helped or hurt the
State. The anti-Prohibtionsts lately pub
lished a statement showing that prohibition
had greatly increased the burdens of the
taxpayers without restricting the sale of in
toxicating liquors, and that, in consequence,
immigration had fallen off and investments
i'll certain kinds of improvements had to u
great extent ceased. The Governor meets
these statements with an emphatic denial
and insists that the State was never so pros
porous as at present, and that the saloon
business has practically ceased to exist
. 1t is more than probable that the Gov
ernor states the situation correctly. 1t may
be true that the drug stores sell a great deal
more whisky now than they did before the
saloons were closed, but it will have to be
admitted that there is a noticeable absence
of drunkenness in the State and that crimes
which can be traced directly to whisky are
much less numerous than before the adop-
ton of prohibition.
The fact is that the great majority of
those who are addicted to the use of intoxi-
eating liquors are ready to admit that the
drinking habit is a very harmful one and
that il is pretty certain to lead to poverty
and misery. II it were not for their ability
TO get whisky whenever they want il
they would soon abandon the habit alto
gether. When whisky is brought to their
very doors, as it We're, they cannot resist
the temptation to drink 1t. 1t is probably
safe to say that the most of the Kansas
whisky drinkers are glad that prohibition is
in force there, and they would be glad, also,
if whisky were not placed within their
reach by druggists. The parties in Kansas
who are trying to make it appear that the
State is going backward because of the pro
hibition legislation will, eventually, have to
admit that they were mistaken. They are
mainly saloon keepers, doubtless, who are
trying TO get up a sentiment in favor of the
repeal of the prohibition law. They will
find they have undertaken a much
greater task than they had any idea of.
A few days ago statement was widely
circulated that the city of Atchison, Kan.
had cut off the city's water supply, turned
Off the gas and reduced the police force be
cause, owing to the loss Of revenue from sa-
loon licenses, it hadn't enough money to
maintain these things. The Mayor of Atch-
ison denied the statement about the gas and
the water, but admitted that the police force
had been reduced The reduction of the
force, however, was due to the fact that the
saloons having been closed there was such Il
decrease in crime that so large n force was
not needed as when whisky was free.
Prohibition will attract, not drive immi-
grants away from Kansas. 1t means more
school houses and church houses, and the
best class of immigrants always go where
these things are TO be found. The assertion
that prohibition is running the State is GER
tainly grave mistake, and it is also a mis-
take TO assert that the burdens Of the tax
payers are greater now than they were
before prohibition went into effect. The
saloons no longer exist, but the large sums
which they paid into the treasury
are more than equaled by the
saving that has been brought about
by the decrease that has been effected in the
cost of convicting criminals. The criminal
record is small and unimportant in COM
parison with what it was before the law
against the free sale of whisky was enacted.
The people of Kansas appear TO know what
they are about and they are pretty certain
90 stick ~ prohibition.